When the region settles after the American war with Iran, and it will, American and European travelers will come back. Not just for spectacle or headline projects, but for places that feel real. Places that haven’t been engineered to impress and which get into your soul.

We predict that visitors to Saudi Arabia will want to see places like Rijal Alma.

About 28 miles west of Abha, in the mountains of Saudi Arabia’s Asir region, Rijal Alma sits along steep slopes that fall toward the Red Sea. The village is known for its tall, narrow houses, some rising six stories—built from stone, mud, and wood. They’ve been standing for generations, holding their shape in heat, wind, and time.

This is vernacular architecture in its pure form. Long before eco, regenerative and sustainability became buzzwords, builders here figured out how to work with the climate. Thick earthen walls absorb heat during the day and release it at night. Small windows limited direct sun and gave privacy which is what Muslim families expect. The stacked design helps air move through the structure. Nothing is decorative for the sake of it. Everything has a purpose.

Saudi Arabia today is pushing forward with massive projects which have either failed or been postponed, like NEOM, Trojena, Shebara—designed to redefine how people live in extreme environments. They’re bold, expensive, and built to draw attention. But they also raise a question. Is oil money only buying the new and fantastic? As the world weans itself on oil, Saudi Arabia and its family owned oil company Saudi Aramco, will return to humble roots like the House of Saud, a ruling family that once lived in a mud palace.

Rijal Alma shows a different approach to building. The materials are local and the scale is human.

Under the House of Saud, there’s been more interest in restoring historic sites like this one. That’s a start. But preservation alone isn’t enough. The real shift would be using these ideas again, not as decoration, but as a base for new construction.

In a hotter world, that kind of thinking matters. Buildings that cool themselves. Materials that don’t rely on long supply chains. Designs that last.

When travel feels safe again, visitors from the US and Europe will likely make their way here. Not just to see something old, but to understand how people built before energy was cheap and space was unlimited. Walk through Rijal Alma and you notice it right away. The temperature drops in the shade. The walls feel solid. The streets are narrow for a reason. Nothing is random.

It’s not nostalgic. It’s practical. And we love that.

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Circular homes are having a renaissance. From inflatable concrete shelters to earthen superadobe domes and traditional adobe roundhouses, curved structures promise strength, energy efficiency, and resilience in a hotter, stormier world. Their geometry sheds wind, holds heat, and uses fewer materials than boxy buildings. They also just feel better, as bed-“womb” builder Hassan Fathy always said.

But there’s one practical concern that consistently comes up when readers explore these climate-smart homes: How do you put flat windows into round walls?

Curved architecture may be ancient, but modern living still expects views, ventilation, and natural light. Fortunately, builders have developed elegant, low-tech solutions that work across materials and climates. Here’s a guide to the most effective ways to fit windows into round or dome-shaped homes.

Create a Flat “Window Buck” Inside the Curve

This is the most common method used in superadobe domes, monolithic domes, inflatable concrete houses, and even straw bale roundhouses. A window buck is a rigid, rectangular insert made from wood, steel, or composite. It’s placed into the wall while the dome or roundhouse is being built.

How it works: Construct a strong rectangular frame the size of your chosen window. Anchor it to rebar, mesh, or the foundation. Build your curved wall—earthbags, adobe, or sprayed concrete—snugly around the frame. Install a standard flat window once the wall cures.

Why builders use it: It interrupts the curve just enough to create a flat surface without weakening the dome. Standard windows fit perfectly, and the buck acts like a structural anchor.

Shape an Arched or Vaulted Opening (The Classic Adobe Method)

In traditional Middle Eastern and North African adobe buildings, window openings are shaped as arches carved into thick earthen walls. The windowpane stays flat, but the curved walls taper gracefully toward it.

Benefits: The arch distributes structural loads evenly. No lintels needed, reducing cracking. Creates deep, shaded window wells—excellent for cooling in desert climates. Ideal for passive solar design. This method is especially beautiful in hand-plastered homes and pairs well with natural finishes.

Add a Mini Flat Section or Buttress for the Window

Curved homes don’t need to be perfectly round. Builders often create a subtle flat segment or “mini buttress” — just wide enough for a window. This technique is common in eco-resorts in Sinai, Jordan, and Portugal that want the sculptural look of domes but the convenience of standard glazing. Why it works: It’s simple, avoids complex carpentry or brick work, and creates a stable vertical plane for installation without disrupting the overall geometry.

Install Circular or Porthole-Style Windows

Some builders embrace the curve by choosing round or oval windows. These are custom-builds, and more expensive options generally. Plastic windows, with tints, may be found in home and dome kits for a reduced fee.

Where you’ll see them: Inflatable concrete bunkers, monolithic domes, tiny eco-homes, storm-resistant shelters and in barrel sauna. They eliminate the need for a flat insert and can withstand extreme wind. Repurposed marine portholes are surprisingly popular thanks to their durability and charm.

Round homes ask us to rethink building conventions. Their curves offer comfort, efficiency, and surprising strength—but they require intentional window design. Whether you’re building in the desert, forest, or city fringe, one of these solutions will fit your climate, materials, and aesthetic.

The post How flat windows work on round and dome-shaped rooms appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Majara Residence on Iran’s Hormuz Island has been praised internationally for its vibrant architecture and community narrative – even winning an Aga Khan Award for Architecture. But field research of the superadobe construction suggests the reality on the ground tells a different story: one of habitat loss, fragile ecosystems at risk, and a disconnect between architectural acclaim and ecological responsibility.

Architect Ronak Roshan Gilvaei who works on Sustainable Design, Architectural Restoration & Urban Renewal weighs in for this Green Prophet exclusive.

Hormuz Island – just 8 km from Bandar Abbas in Iran – is a geological wonder, famous for its rainbow-colored soil, unique marine biodiversity, and role as a nesting ground for critically endangered sea turtles. Studies have documented nesting by hawksbill and green turtles, especially on the island’s less accessible southeastern beaches.

The Majara Residence (Persian: اقامتگاه ماجرا, where Majara translates to “adventure”) is a complex of roughly 200 colorful superadobe domes built on Hormuz Island as a seaside eco‑tourism project. Designed by ZAV Architects, it was completed around 2020.

At first glance and by its own descriptions, seems inspired by the philosophies of architects such as Nader Khalili, Francis Kéré, and Shigeru Ban. It could read as a model for sustainable development, particularly in its social dimension. However, my field visits and closer examination as an advocate for sustainable architecture and environmental conservation in Iran suggest the project’s execution contradicts the core principles of sustainability.

Its inclusion on shortlists for awards purportedly grounded in sustainability and environmental justice –– most recently the Aga Khan Award –– is surprising and concerning, especially given warnings and objections raised by activists, experts, and local communities in recent years. What has been labeled superficially as “revitalization” has, in practice, meant habitat invasion, erosion of indigenous values, and exploitation of local resources and people.

Like we learned from the Seychelles, these habitats require careful protection from light pollution, human traffic, and coastal development. Yet in recent years, tourism investors have eyed the same pristine stretches for high-profile projects, including the Majara Residence.

Its location – less than 80 metres from the high-tide line – puts it directly in sensitive turtle nesting zones. Standard conservation guidelines recommend at least a one-kilometre buffer from such areas. (Related: read the article on turtle conservation on Assomption Island.)

The consequences go beyond the hotel’s 1.5-hectare footprint. Artificial lighting can disorient hatchlings, while heavy machinery, coastal vegetation clearance, and increased visitor pressure threaten the wider ecosystem.

Digging deeper into science papers, Hormuz Island has played a vital role in the life cycle of two protected sea turtle species over the  past decades. According to local research and the scientific paper “Nesting of Hawksbill Turtle  (Eretmochelys imbricata) on Hormuz Island, Iran” (2011–2012), the island has been recognized  as an active and potential protected habitat for the critically endangered hawksbill turtle in Iran. My field observations are all documented here, and are summed up for a quick read below. 

This study mentioned above confirms regular nesting events, the relative success of hatchling survival, and the  pristine condition of some of the island’s beaches. Additionally, the paper “Turtles in Iranian  Beaches of Oman Sea during 2008–2010” (BEPLS, 2014) highlights the simultaneous presence of  both hawksbill and green turtles on Iran’s southern coasts, including Hormuz, and notes that  numerous nests of these species have been observed on the island’s shores in past years.

Although these studies lacked GPS-based nesting site mapping or granular habitat delineation to pinpoint exact nesting sites, this does not mean nesting does not occur in specific areas—rather,  it underscores the need for more comprehensive research before any construction projects. 

Most nesting activity has been clearly observed in the southeastern part of the island, an area  less affected by human intervention due to its inaccessibility. However, in recent years, due to  its visual appeal, some investors—including the current developer of the Majara Residence have aggressively pursued tourism development projects and new hotel constructions on this land. 

Examples include last year’s proposals by Next Office and Studio KAT, which faced protests from activists and locals, halting their progress.

Destruction of Native Vegetation

Before construction, the site hosted resilient species like tamarisk, glasswort, and saltwort – plants that stabilise soil, reduce erosion, and withstand Hormuz’s extreme heat and salinity. Around 2.5 hectares of this vegetation was removed, with no ecological restoration plan in place.

ZAV Architects, in their project on Hormuz Island, identified the dominant vegetation as Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) and described it as an invasive species with deep roots that can harm biodiversity and infrastructure. However, from a scientific and ecological perspective, although mesquite is non-native and semi-invasive, it plays a vital role in stabilizing the soil, preventing erosion, and reducing desertification under the harsh environmental conditions of  Hormuz.

Removing this plant without replacing it with native species and without an ecological  management plan not only leads to habitat degradation but also contradicts the principles of  sustainable development in sensitive areas, potentially causing further environmental damage. Therefore, the hotel’s action to remove the mesquite without considering these scientific and ecological factors is unjustified and harmful.

The hotel’s basic ozonation and composting systems lack advanced treatment needed for sensitive coastal zones. Without independent monitoring, there’s no way to confirm that wastewater meets safety standards. On an island without a municipal sewage network, any leakage could threaten coral reefs, seagrass beds, and turtle habitats.

The architects also promote the project as empowering Hormuz’s native residents. Yet reports indicate persistent economic challenges: water scarcity, high transport costs, and weak tourism management. The island’s own Sustainable Development Plan, developed with local participation, focuses on training, infrastructure, and sustainable livelihoods – a deeper approach than cultural tourism alone can provide.

Systems Thinking: A Missed Opportunity

As systems thinker Russell Ackoff argued, environmental challenges must be addressed holistically, recognising the interdependence of ecological, social, and economic factors. Successful examples, like wildlife restoration in Yellowstone Park, such as bringing back the wolves to restore the forest, show that strategic, science-led interventions can achieve balance.

On Hormuz, protecting sea turtles could have anchored an ecotourism model combining indigenous knowledge with conservation science – creating lasting benefits for both people and nature.

The Majara Hotel’s waste and sewage management system reportedly includes an ozonation unit with a daily capacity of 20 cubic meters, oil treatment up to 8 cubic meters, and compost production of 50 kg per day. However, the equipment used is basic, lacking advanced biological  or physical-chemical treatment technologies. This is particularly alarming given the hotel’s location less than 70 meters from the shoreline, where any leakage or incomplete sewage treatment could severely endanger the island’s marine ecosystem. 

According to studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2020) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP, 2019), hotel wastewater contains fats, detergents, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), micro-pollutants, and pathogenic microorganisms. Without advanced treatment processes—such as activated sludge reactors, biofilm systems, or ultrafiltration/nanofiltration membranes—this wastewater can degrade coral habitats, promote toxic algal blooms, reduce coastal water quality, and threaten public health (WHO, 2018). 

The Majara Residence’s vibrant domes have captured global attention and won architectural accolades. But without rigorous environmental safeguards, it risks being remembered as an object lesson in how eco-tourism can turn extractive. Architecture awards that celebrate such projects without full ecological due diligence may inadvertently undermine the very sustainability principles they seek to promote.

Hormuz Island deserves development that honors its ecological fragility, cultural heritage, and the resilience of its people – not just in form and color, but in function and legacy.

Contact: ronak.roshang@gmail.com | ronakroshan.com

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Working with NASA as part of an initiative to design homes fit for space, Iranian architect Nader Khalili conceived the dome home, pictured above, as an affordable, accessible, easy to build, and environmentally sensible housing solution. This works in dry desert climates such as Iran, Israel, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority.

Nader first presented his Superadobe construction method, which involves stuffing bags full of readily available dirt and then stacking them in a circular form. The bags are held together with barbed wire, and then covered with lime plaster. Any holes are filled in with grout.

The resulting homes are so well-insulated, no air-conditioning is necessary in summer, and in winter, the thick walls retain enough heat to keep the interior space comfortably warm

In 1991, Khalili founded the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth), which continues to provide workshops and empower people around the world with these low impact structures.

Related: Nader-Khalili inspired eco resort in Oman wins big accolades from WAF

For SharmsArd, a Palestinian firm that Ahmad Daoud commissioned to build his home in Jericho, building with Earth was an obvious choice that allows them to feel empowered in the context of the nation’s ongoing struggle towards a peaceful unification with their neighbours.

One of the firm’s partners, Danna Massad, expresses their collective desire to operate independently of the foreign aid that so many Palestinians have to rely on to make any kind of respectable living in Palestine.

“I think the Palestinian society is oversaturated with international aid,” she told NPR’s Emily Harris several years back.

“Of course, we’re not the only example of a local business that refuses any kind of aid, but we can see how excited people get … to see how you can actually do something without being dependent.”

Despite some skepticism from his community, Daoud is chuffed with his new home. “It’s an environmentally friendly house,” he told NPR. “I can tear it down and nothing will remain. In the summer, I don’t need air conditioning, and in the winter, I don’t need heat.”

More photos of Super Adobe in Jericho:

Photos of the construction process taken from SharmsArd Facebook Page.

:: NPR

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Neder Khalili (1936 to 2008) was an Iranian-born architect whose vision of sustainable building for the relief of the poor has been realized in communities around the world.

Like the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy before him, Khalili built homes of earth with thick walls, curves instead of straight lines, and consideration for the needs imposed on residents by their climate. But where Fathy’s system proved unsustainable over the decades, Khalili’s technology seems likely to endure.

Khalili escaped Iran as a young man and established his office in California, where he was licensed as an architect in 1970. He taught his theories around the world, reaping recognition and awards for his work. 

At the request of NASA in 1984, Khalili  developed a technology that could be used to build on Mars and the moon.  Eventually it became known as SuperAdobe, a form of architecture using dirt-filled sandbags, barbed wire, plaster, and very little else. Although it first remained a theory, NASA published the plans, which were awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004. We reported more on Khalili’s works and awards, here.

In practice, SuperAdobe has been used to create homes, community centers, playgrounds and more, in 49 countries and counting. The projects built in the States pass global safety requirements and earthquake code tests in California.

The Los Angeles Times reported, ““The city (of Hesperia) conducted tests, under the supervision of the International conference of Building Officials, and found that SuperAdobe stood up to twice the amount of weight that would crush a pitched-roof house.”

In 1991 Khalili founded the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth), a non-profit school where he taught the SuperAdobe building technique with the aim of showing ordinary people – not only students of architecture – how to build their own homes from filled sandbags. His daughter and son now run the organization and train teams in theory and practice.

How SuperAdobe works is explained on the Cal-Earth site:

“Long or short sandbags are filled with moistened earth and arranged in layers or long coils. Strands of barbed wire are placed between each layer of sandbag to act as both mortar and reinforcement. Stabilizers such as cement, lime, or asphalt emulsion may be added. Similar to how a potter stacks coils of clay to make a vessel, builders stack coils of earth to make a structure.

The structural design uses modern engineering concepts like base-isolation and post-tensioning. The long coils of sandbag provide compression (vertical) strength. While the barbed wire adds tensile (horizontal) strength. In addition, the sandbags add flood resistance. The earth itself provides insulation and fire-proofing.”

Supplies needed to build SuperAdobe structures are synthetic, UV resistant degradable sand bags, four-point, two strand, galvanized barbed wire, shovels, tampers, dirt and water.

This beautiful domed village was created on the island of Hormuz, in Iran, by the architectural firm Zav Architects,  based in Teheran. The residents have traditionally been involved in illegal activities, but the hope is that, having been trained in SuperAdobe construction, they will turn to more acceptable ways of making a living. This is similar to the vision of Hassan Fathy, whose New Gourna village was created to house residents of the original Gourna and guide them to farming and construction trades.

Until the Covid pandemic appeared, Cal-Earth offered courses, hands-on workshops, youth programs, field trips and lectures. All possible classes have been moved online and are available as videos or Zoom sessions now. Visit Caltech for details. 

What does Pablo say?

Green Prophet’s friend and advisor, environmental artist Pablo Solomon says: 

“People in our part of Texas have made adobe bricks from caliche clay for centuries. It is a naturally occurring mixture of clay and limestone gravel (often small fossils). When it dries in the sun it is incredibly hard. Like all adobe, you must plaster over it to keep the moisture out. 

“Also, you might find this interesting–a guy out in Marfa, Texas (near Big Bend National Park) mixes cement, shredded paper and sand to make a light weight concrete for construction by blocks or pouring. The really unique aspect is the way he mixes the composition. He pulls a mixer behind his pick up truck as he drives around and gears attached to the trailer wheels cause the mixer to turn.”

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Working with NASA as part of an initiative to design homes fit for space, Iranian architect Nader Khalili conceived the dome home as an affordable, accessible, easy to build, and environmentally sensible housing solution. Now it’s being applied in the West Bank.

One of our close friends apprenticed with Nader Khalili in California. Fleeing Iran, he first presented his Superadobe construction method, which involves stuffing bags full of readily available dirt and then stacking them in a circular form. The bags are held together with barbed wire, and then covered with lime plaster. Any holes are filled in with grout.

The resulting homes are so well-insulated, no air-conditioning is necessary in summer, and in winter, the thick walls retain enough heat to keep the interior space comfortably warm. Much like strawbale homes, pioneered by Bill and Athena Steen in Canelo, Arizona. We visited them in the early 2000s. Read the story of Canelo here.

In 1991, Khalili founded the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth), which continues to provide workshops and empower people around the world with these low impact structures. Superadobe technology, a kind of low-tech technology, was designed and developed by architect Nader Khalili and Cal-Earth Institute, and engineered by P.J. Vittore.

Related: Nader-Khalili resort in Oman wins big accolades

For SharmsArd, the young Palestinian firm that Ahmad Daoud commissioned to build his home in Jericho, building with Earth was an obvious choice that allows them to feel empowered in the context of the nation’s ongoing struggle against Israel’s increasingly aggressive behavior in the West Bank and Gaza.

One of the firm’s partners, Danna Massad, expresses their collective desire to operate independently of the foreign aid that so many Palestinians have to rely on to make any kind of respectable living in Palestine. I think the Palestinian society is oversaturated with international aid,” she tells NPR’s Emily Harris.
“Of course, we’re not the only example of a local business that refuses any kind of aid, but we can see how excited people get … to see how you can actually do something without being dependent.”

Despite some skepticism from his community, Daoud is chuffed with his new home.

“It’s an environmentally friendly house,” he told NPR. “I can tear it down and nothing will remain. In the summer, I don’t need air conditioning, and in the winter, I don’t need heat.”

Photos of the construction process taken from SharmsArd Facebook Page which has not been updated since 2020. As of October, 2023 their website page has not been working. 

The post Superadobe earthen dome homes for Palestinians appeared first on Green Prophet.

Green Prophet loves to cover where eco meets faith and the Middle East. Zaufishan puts together a handy list of five of the world’s most beautiful eco-mosques.

Albania’s Mosque for All

Albania’s “Mosque For All” pictured above and below and designed by BIG features an inside-outdoor shaded Islamic centre, promoting religious harmony through Quran Gardens and a unique intersecting square design.

Albania sits at the crossroads of three major religions: Islam, Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity, and two new churches were recently completed for the later religions. So in order to promote religious harmony within a capital city in the midst of major renovations, Skanderbeg Square has been set aside for the Islamic cultural center.

Playing off the orientation of the existing square as well as alignment towards Mecca, the buildings’ forms emerge from these intersecting axes. The back of the buildings line up with the streets while a series of semi-covered plazas, two minor ones on the sides of the Mosque and a major plaza with a minaret in front, face Mecca.

The mosque area would be flexible to accommodate up to 1,000 people for daily prayers all the way up to 10,000 for special holy days like Ramadan – especially those make it eco. All the shaded spaces are cool and inviting, while the curved facades are covered in a multitude of rectangular windows inspired by mashrabiya screens. Was it ever built? Doesn’t look like it.

The Green Mosque In Chicago

The Green Mosque, which was awarded Best Freestanding Religious Structure in the Faith in Place competition in Chicago, incorporates a library, education center, lecture halls, and a soup kitchen. Is this the world’s greenest mosque?

As far as we know the mosque has never built built. In theory it’s green, in practice, not so much. But details here can lend to any architect’s inspiration.

Cambridge Eco Mosque

The United Kingdom’s largest environmentally-friendly mosque in Cambridge adopts energy saving techniques. Architect Marks Barfield will be designing the £13 million eco mosque on a 0.4 hectare site in Cambridge embedded within some of the region’s most beautiful scenic views. Read the Green Prophet exclusive on England’s eco mosque. (Update 2021: the mosque is finally complete and the images here reflect that.)

The defining internal characteristic of the mosque is the timber ‘trees’ which form the structural support for the roof and the roof lights. The geometry of the trees was developed through work with geometric artist Keith Critchlow, creating the underlying geometry of the mosque. It combines an Islamic ‘the Breath of the Compassionate’ pattern into a structural grid that supports the roof and is then brought to a point at the columns. It is a simple device that combines the structural logic of supporting a large span with few columns and a celebration of the structural material and its decorative possibilities, bringing to mind both Fosters’ Stansted Airport, and King’s College Chapel.

The external brick tiles that clad the CLT structure are from traditional Cambridge Gault and are red brick colours. The protruding headers form a pattern of Arabic Kufic calligraphy that reads “say he is God (the) one”.

Social and environmental sustainability were central to the competition-winning scheme and have been delivered. The intent was to produce a building in accordance with the spiritual belief that humanity’s role is as a responsible custodian of nature, meaning one should minimise their carbon footprint.

The building has achieved net zero carbon energy on site in use. The competing elements of the demand for car parking to suit large events with elderly congregations, creating an underground car park and the environmental consequences of embodied carbon have been recognised. The passive and active sustainable measures incorporated within the building meet and exceed some elements of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets and other elements of the design have future-proofed the building to allow for predicted climate change.

Great Mud Mosque of Djenné, Mali

The Great Mud Mosque of Djenne in Mali is just one of the world’s hand built mud buildings that are increasingly considered as options for low-carbon and low-cost construction. It was built in 1917, though it looks like a thousand years old and still standing.

Yemen boasts the magnificent ‘Manhattan of the Desert’ mosque and Iran is home to the Bam citadel. Check out more Middle Eastern beauties and mud architecture.

Ray of Light Mosque, Dubai

Nicknamed the “Ray of Light,” this unusually shaped entry for the Dubai Mosque Competition is illuminated with LEDs, designed to minimise energy use and metaphysically segregate worshippers by a ray of light (most Muslim places of worship include separate prayer spaces for men and women).

Like most great ideas it takes more than an architecture proposal to get off the ground. Millions of dollars of investment and years of building are needed. Looks like this one didn’t succeed. But the photos are fascinating.

More green urban architecture:
Stunning Abu Dhabi Resort Celebrates Bedouin Architecture
Luxurious Chiseled Desert Lodge In Jordan Is Also Sustainable
Dubai’s New Net Zero Building Codes Should Boost Cleantech Worldwide
What Happened To Islam’s Environmentally Friendly Architecture?

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